The Col de Spandelles is situated in Midi-Pyrenees
and belongs to the
Pyrenees
.
Starting from Argelès Gazost,
the Col de Spandelles ascent is 15.5 km long. Over this distance, you climb 925 heightmeters.
The average percentage thus is 6 %.

I suppose I have a completely opposite opinion from Patrick (2008). The 6% average totally undersold the difficulty of this climb. Yes, there are many sections of low percentage, but there are also many taxing sections of 10, 15, even up to 20% near the top. While none of those sections are long, in succession I found the climb to be quite taxing. Adding to the difficulty is the road surface, which is rough, patched, and potmarked. There are many sections with loose stone and near gravel. Since this is a back-road farm road, there is not much traffic from bike or car, but also no services. Nice view from the top. The descent down the back side yields a bumpy rutted road in worse condition, very windy, and many loose livestock! That said, I would certainly climb it again.

My personal climb rating:

Story by Croisiaux patrick from Opglabbeek, Belgium, submitted on 08/12/2008

Starting from Argelès, you drive in direction of the col daubisque. After about one km climbing, youll find the road to Gez and the Spandelles on the right.
The Spandelles is not difficult to climb. Lots of strokes with low percentages. So its an ideal climb for riders who also like to enjoy the beautiful environment. But.... you have to be very careful when driving down the hill, because on certain places you will find a lot of loose gravel and pretty big holes in the road.